Ursine Monstrosity is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Trample At the beginning of combat on your turn, mill a card and choose an opponent at random. This creature attacks that player this combat if able. Until end of turn, this creature gains indestructible and gets +1/+1 for each card type among cards in your graveyard.
Complete guide
Ursine Monstrosity is a powerhouse that brings chaotic aggression to the battlefield. By fueling your graveyard and gaining temporary invincibility, this Bear Mutant forces you to embrace the randomness of combat for massive damage.
Sizing Up the Beast
At the beginning of your combat phase, Ursine Monstrosity triggers a multi-part effect. First, you mill one card from your library into your graveyard. Next, you randomly select an opponent to be the target of your aggression. Finally, for the rest of the turn, the creature gains Indestructible and receives a power and toughness boost based on the number of different card types currently in your graveyard. This includes types like land, creature, artifact, enchantment, sorcery, instant, planeswalker, battle, and kindred.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When the ability triggers: 1. You put the top card of your library into your graveyard. 2. You randomly determine which opponent the creature 'wants' to attack. 3. The game checks your graveyard for unique card types; if you have a Land and a Creature, it gets +2/+2. 4. You move to the Declare Attackers step. If the chosen opponent is a legal target and Ursine Monstrosity is able to attack (it is untapped and not affected by summoning sickness), you must declare it as an attacker against that specific player. You cannot choose to attack their planeswalkers or battles instead.
Important Limitations
The requirement to attack the chosen player only applies 'if able.' If the chosen player has an effect like Ghostly Prison that requires you to pay mana to attack them, you are not forced to pay. If you don't pay, the 'must attack' requirement is void, and you can attack someone else or not attack at all. Additionally, remember that supertypes like Legendary or Snow do not count toward the power bonus—only the actual card types listed in the rules contribute to the +1/+1 buff.
When to Play It
Ursine Monstrosity thrives in decks that can quickly fill the graveyard with diverse types. Because it gains Indestructible during combat, it is an excellent tool for attacking into boards with large blockers. Even if your opponent has a lethal defender, the Monstrosity will survive the encounter, and its Trample ability ensures that excess damage still reaches the player.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you have Solemn Simulacrum in your graveyard, Ursine Monstrosity sees two card types: Artifact and Creature. This provides a +2/+2 bonus. If you then mill a Land with the Monstrosity's ability, the bonus immediately increases to +3/+3 for that turn.
Sakura-Tribe ElderIf you sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder to find a land before your combat phase, you ensure at least two types (Creature and Land) are in the graveyard. When Ursine Monstrosity triggers, it mills another card; if that card is a Sorcery, the Monstrosity becomes a 6/6 with Trample and Indestructible for the duration of that combat.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ursine Monstrosity
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you can't mill a card, you'll still follow the rest of the instructions of Ursine Monstrosity's last ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Ursine Monstrosity must attack the chosen player if able, not a planeswalker they control or a battle they protect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If, during your declare attackers step, Ursine Monstrosity is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can't attack, or hasn't been under your control continuously since your turn began (and doesn't have haste), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having Ursine Monstrosity attack the chosen player, you aren't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack that player in that case either.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If Ursine Monstrosity isn't forced to attack the chosen player for one of the above reasons but can still attack, you may choose to have it attack another player, a planeswalker, a battle, or nothing at all.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If your turn has multiple combat phases, Ursine Monstrosity's last ability triggers at the beginning of each of them. Ignore any choices made for its last ability during previous combat phases.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
The card types in Magic include artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery. Legendary, basic, and snow are supertypes, not card types; Horror and Room are subtypes, not card types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Ursine Monstrosity
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.